RaRa for Haiti

Who are we?

We are three women living in New Orleans who care deeply about rebuilding Haiti.We wanted to host a culturally appropriate and unique event that would allow New Orleanians and Haitians to experience the deep cultural roots that they shareand that would inspire New Orleans to help in Haiti's healing.

The three of us organized the RaRa for Haiti, and we plan to continue organizing fundraisers to benefit organizations that we believe are honest, reputable, and dedicated to Haiti's recovery.

Jordan Matevich(the peacekeeping one)

Jordan was born in Chicago, and she graduated with a Bachelors in Psychology & Sociology from Wake Forest in 2009. She came down to NOLA twice post-Katrina to help rehab buildings and churches. She obviously fell in love (with the city of course). She is now working on two graduate degrees at Tulane University - a Masters in Social Work and a Masters in Public Health. She is working in the field at New Orleans Children's Health Project. She's big on international travel, strawberry margaritas, and trail mix with chocolate m&ms. Her favorite cities so far are Amsterdam, Geneva, & Sarajevo. We figure that will change upon future travels....

Pascale Gerdes(the business one)

Pascale was born in Haiti and lived there until she was 18. She left to pursue her undergraduate education at Loyola University in New Orleans, and she has been here ever since. She received a Bachelors Degree in Marketing and International Business from Loyola in 2005, and an MBA from Tulane University in 2009. She currently works as the Assistant Director in Tulane's Undergraduate Admissions Office. She feels completely at home in New Orleans because it reminds her of an old French Caribbean neighborhood, offers a multitude of excellent restaurants, and encompasses much diversity. Her favorite meal would have to be banane pesée (fried plantains), riz Djon-Djon (type of Haitian rice), and poulet en sauce (type of Creole chicken). She loves learning about different cultures, and she prefers to be near the beach.

Tuyl Fletchinger (the artsy one)

"Tile," like the floor, was born and raised in NOLA. She received her Bachelors in Psychology in 2007 from LSU, did some international traveling, and then settled in Colorado shortly thereafter. After two years of working in Denver, hiking in the Rockies, and exploring Colorado, her little heart still pined for her New Orleans. She returned in August 2009 and began a dual graduate program at Tulane University pursuing a Masters in Social Work and Masters in Public Health. Inspired by the Rwandan genocide and later by Hurricane Katrina, she wants to help communities heal after disasters. She stubbornly continues to explore the meaning of home. (Please let her know if you have any secrets.) She is addicted to travel, coffee, spontaneity, and running...and tends to be happiest when she's barefoot.